• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.207-217
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• 2017

For effective patient treatment in proton therapy, it is therefore important to accurately measure the beam range. For measuring beam range, various researchers determine the beam range by measuring the prompt gammas generated during nuclear reactions of protons with materials. However, the accuracy of the beam range determination can be lowered in heterogeneous phantoms, because of the differences with respect to the prompt gamma production depending on the properties of the material. In this research, to improve the beam range determination in a heterogeneous phantom, we derived a formula to correct the prompt-gamma distribution using the ratio of the prompt gamma production, stopping power, and density obtained for each material. Then, the prompt-gamma distributions were acquired by a multi-slit prompt-gamma camera on various kinds of heterogeneous phantoms using a Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation, and the deduced formula was applied to the prompt-gamma distributions. For the case involving the phantom having bone-equivalent material in the soft tissue-equivalent material, it was confirmed that compared to the actual range, the determined ranges were relatively accurate both before and after correction. In the case of a phantom having the lung-equivalent material in the soft tissue-equivalent material, although the maximum error before correction was 18.7 mm, the difference was very large. However, when the correction method was applied, the accuracy was significantly improved by a maximum error of 4.1 mm. Moreover, for a phantom that was constructed based on CT data, after applying the calibration method, the beam range could be generally determined within an error of 2.5 mm. Simulation results confirmed the potential to determine the beam range with high accuracy in heterogeneous phantoms by applying the proposed correction method. In future, these methods will be verified by performing experiments using a therapeutic proton beam.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.511-518
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• 2017

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is a relevant environment factor to induce cellular senescence and photoaging. Both autophagy- and silent information regulator T1 (SIRT1)-dependent pathways are critical cellular processes of not only maintaining normal cellular functions, but also protecting cellular senescence in skin exposed to UV irradiation. In the present studies, we investigated whether modulation of autophagy induction using a novel synthetic SIRT1 activator, heptasodium hexacarboxymethyl dipeptide-12 (named as Aquatide), suppresses the UVB irradiation-induced skin aging. Treatment with Aquatide directly activates SIRT1 and stimulates autophagy induction in cultured human dermal fibroblasts. Next, we found that Aquatide-mediated activation of SIRT1 increases autophagy induction via deacetylation of forkhead box class O (FOXO) 1. Finally, UVB irradiation-induced cellular senescence measured by $SA-{\beta}-gal$ staining was significantly decreased in cells treated with Aquatide in parallel to occurring SIRT1 activation-dependent autophagy. Together, Aquatide modulates autophagy through SIRT1 activation, contributing to suppression of skin aging caused by UV irradiation.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.293-302
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• 2016

To determine the dominant bacterial species during the Saeu-jeotgal ripening process, the cultivable bacterial population was examined over a 135-day period using six different growth media. The greatest numbers of bacteria were identified when marine agar was used for culture, with maximum cell density identified at day 65 (2.51 × 10⁷ colony forming units/g). Over the course of 135 days, the bacterial diversity was analyzed eight times. A total of 467 isolates, comprising 87 species from 42 genera, as well as 16 isolates belonging to previously unknown species, were identified. The number of species detected decreased from 39 at day 1 to 13 at day 135. The order of dominance at the genus level was as follows: Staphylococcus, Salimicrobium, Kocuria, and Psychrobacter. Staphylococcus and Salimicrobium accounted for 2% of the diversity at day 1, and then increased to 39% and 36%, respectively, at day 135. The dominant species Staphylococcus equorum, Salimicrobium salexigens, and Kocuria palustris accounted for 23.6%, 16.1%, and 10.9% of all isolates, respectively. Importantly, both St. equorum and Sm. salexigens remained viable at a NaCl concentration of 21% (w/v), which indicates their strong involvement in the ripening of Saeu-jeotgal.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.249-259
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• 2016

Effect of the flame retardants on Dancheong is studied in the present work. Two kinds of flame retardants were applied on Dancheong specimens and compared with control groups on which distilled water was applied instead of the flame retardants. The flame retardants enhanced the hygroscopic property of the surface of Dancheong. Furthermore, the added flame retardants reacted with oyster shell white($CaCO_3$) and lead red($Pb_3O_4$), producing new chemical compounds like Calcium phosphate tribasic and Lead Phosphates which make the painted layer of Dancheong dissolving and whitening over certain period of time. When applied in excessive amount and exposed in repetitive wet and dry condition, especially, they aggravate the surface problems significantly. These results will provide a good reference on the study of the discoloring/whitening effect of Dancheong layers at many traditional wooden building in Korea.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2017

While they are becoming more viable, synthetic natural gas (SNG) plants, with their high temperatures and pressures, are still heavily dependent on advancements in the state-of-the-art technologies. However, most of the current work in the literature is focused on optimizing chemical processes and process variables, with little work being done on relevant mechanical damage and maintenance engineering. In this study, a combination of pipe system stress analysis and detailed local stress analysis was implemented to prioritize the inspection locations for main pipes of SNG plant in accordance to ASME B31.3. A pipe system stress analysis was conducted for pre-selecting critical locations by considering design condition and actual operating conditions such as heat-up and cool-down. Identified critical locations were further analyzed using a finite element method to locate specific high-stress points. Resultant stress values met ASME B31.3 code standards for the gasification reactor and lower transition piece (bend Y in Fig.1); however, it is recommended that the vertical displacement of bend Y be restricted more. The results presented here provide valuable information for future risk based maintenance inspection and further safe operation considerations.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.105-114
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• 2018

Membrane fouling in EC-MBR (Electro-Coagulation aided Membrane Bio-Reactor) processes was evaluated according to the operating parameters, such as current density and contact time. In addition, the fouling mechanism was investigated. Compared to the control (i.e., no electro-coagulation), membrane fouling for filtration of the activated sludge suspension after electro-coagulation was reduced significantly. Membrane fouling was improved further when the contact time was doubled under a low current density of $2.5A/m^2$. On the other hand, membrane fouling was not mitigated further, as expected, even though the contact time was doubled from 12 to 24 hr. at a current density of $10A/m^2$. This indicates that the overall decrease in membrane fouling is a function of the product of the current density and contact time. The particle size of the activated sludge flocs after electro-coagulation was changed slightly, which means that the membrane fouling reduction was not attributed to a larger particle size resulting from electro-coagulation. The experimental confirmed that the dynamic membrane made from aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)3, and/or aluminum phosphate, Al(PO4), which had been formed during the electro-coagulation, played a key role on the reduction of membrane fouling. The dynamic membrane prevents the particles in the feed solution from deposition to the membrane pores and cake layers. Dynamic membrane formation as a result of electro-coagulation plays a critical role in the mitigation of membrane fouling in EC-MBR.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.330-338
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• 2018

The proportional-integral-derivative(PID) controller has been widely used in the industry because of its robust performance and simple structure in a wide range of operating conditions. However, the AVR(Automatic Voltage Regulator) as a control system is not robust to variations of the power system parameters. Therefore, it is necessary to use PID controller to increase the stability and performance of the AVR system. In this paper, a novel design method for determining the optimal PID controller parameters of an AVR system using the particle swarm optimization(PSO) algorithm is presented. The proposed approach has superior features, including easy implementation, stable convergence characteristic and good computational efficiency. In order to assist estimating the performance of the proposed PSO-PID controller, a new performance criterion function is also defined. This evaluation function is intended to reflect when the maximum percentage overshoot, the settling time are given as design specifications. The ITAE evaluation function should impose a penalty if the design specifications are violated, so that the PSO algorithm satisfies the specifications when searching for the PID controller parameter. Finally, through the computer simulations, the proposed PSO-PID controller not only satisfies the given design specifications for the terminal voltage step response, but also shows better control performance than other similar recent studies.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.19-24
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• 2020

The interest in renewable energy is increasing due to the depletion of fossil fuels. In particular, active research on wave power, which is highly predictable and abundant, is being conducted. The coaxial accelerator-type wave power generator used in this study was designed to improve the power generation efficiency by converting bidirectional linear motion into a rotational force. In an offshore engineering basin, waves were generated, and case tests were performed according to the wave period and wave height. The experimental results were verified by the theoretical method related to the frequency response, and the overall trend was confirmed to be consistent. These results are expected to be useful in estimating the power of wave generators and designing parameters to improve the efficiency of wave energy in the design stage before manufacturing. In addition, the manufacturer can predict the wave energy efficiency of wave generators, which can reduce the development time and cost by preventing trial and error processes.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.100-107
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• 2014

Plastic has been widely used in modern artworks' materials due to its merits of process ability and mass production. In the country, value of plastic artifact is increasing but the field of plastic study is limited to industrial purpose. In this study, Identification methods of plastic were performed by SPME-GC/MS and pyrolysis-GC/MS using trace of samples. As a result of identification using SPME-GC/MS, aromatic compounds were identified from polyvinyl chloride. And alkane compounds were identified from polyethylene, and polypropylene. Aromatic compounds were identified from polystyrene, and diethylene glycol appeared in polyurethane based on polyester was identified from polyurethane. As a result of identification using pyrolysis- GC/MS, aliphatic alkenes compounds and phthalate(DEHP) were identified from polyvinyl chloride. Aliphatic alkenes compounds and phthalate(DIBP) were detected from polyethylene. 1-hexene, etc., were detected from polypropylene, aromatic compounds were identified from polystyrene, and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate which is polyurethane basic material was confirmed from polyurethane. This study suggested that non-destructive SPME and pyrolysis-GC/MS are useful to identify compounds particularly polystyrene and polyurethane. These two analytical methods were expected to be applied for identification of unidentified plastic artworks before conservation treatment.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.444-450
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of nutritional intervention for modifying the dietary behavior of breast cancer patients. The study was conducted at Gangnam Severance Hospital from December 2015 to May 2016. The subjects of this study were 30 female breast cancer patients. To conduct this study, dietary behaviors and weight changes were measured, and frequency of exercise, alcohol drinking, and use of supplements were investigated. The results are summarized as follows: Average age and rate of monthly weight loss were $54.3{\pm}9.3years$ and $1.4{\pm}3.5%$, respectively. After nutritional intervention, dietary behavior modification score increased from $2.00{\pm}0.45points$ to $2.76{\pm}0.18points$ out of 3 (p<0.001). After intervention, the proportion of alcohol drinkers among patients decreased from 20% to 0%, and that of patients who exercise frequently increased from 53% to 97%. The percentage of supplement users decreased from 40% to 20%. In consideration of the above results, nutritional intervention and dietary behavior modification for breast cancer patients are very important to prevent recurrence of breast cancer.